Great American Suburbs: The Homes Of The Parks Cities, Dallas (Hardcover)

by Virginia Savage McAlester (Author), Willis Cecil Winters (Author), Prudence Mackintosh (Author), Steve Clicque (Photographer)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Dallas local Virginia McAlester, author of Random House's A Field Guide to American Houses, the classic book on the subject, and Abbeville's celebrated Great American Houses and Their Architectural Styles, teamed up with Prudence Mackintosh and Willis Cecil Winters to write Homes of the Park Cities, Dallas. This impressive and informative case study immerses readers into the architecture and culture, both past and present, of these classy neighborhoods.

Illustrated with over 280 specially commissioned photographs, in addition to over 75 maps, graphs, and archival images, this insightful work covers the history and development of Dallas's suburbs, as well as the architects who designed them. Homes also features several appendices, providing notes on how to preserve early-twentieth century homes and a catalogue listing over 1,600 homes by address and architect. McAlester authored an additional appendix that illustrates the architectural styles found in The Park Cities, which run the gamut from Tudor and Colonial Revival to Minimal Traditional and Mid-Century Modern.

As grand as the houses it chronicles, Homes of the Park Cities, Dallas will fascinate architects, historians, suburbanites, and would-be suburbanites alike.

325 full-color photographs
plus 75 maps and archival images

About the Author
Virginia McAlester co-wrote the classic architectural work A Field Guide to American Houses and Great American Houses (Abbeville Press). She lives in Dallas. Willis Cecil Winters is a Dallas architect who was the co-author of two previous books, The American Institute of Architects Guide to Dallas Architecture and Crafting Traditions: The Architecture of Mark Lemmon. Prudence Mackintosh is currently a columnist for Texas Monthly where she has written insights about Park Cities and other aspects of life in Texas for over two decades. She also authored Thundering Sneakers, Just As We Were, Sneaking Out, and Retreads, all for the Southwestern Writers Collection Series published by the University of Texas Press.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Abbeville Press; illustrated edition edition (November 11, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789209764
• ISBN-13: 978-0789209764
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 10.2 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #124,269 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #13 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Architecture > International > United States (Southern)
  #41 in	Books > History > United States > State & Local > Texas

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WHAT A SURPRISINGLY INTERESTING BOOK!!, November 18, 2008

By	ANDY PORT "ANDY" (USA) - See all my reviews

Just wanted to weigh in on a fascinating "coffee-table" book. If you are interested in the development of american suburbs throughout the twentieth century then you must procure this excellent tome! It features sumptuous photography, scholarly research, amusing and informative historical anecdotes, rare archival images...all presented in a beautifully laid-out and artfully done volume. Never thought that I would be completely engaged by the history of the Park Cities in Dallas, Texas...but I am! Kudos to the authors and photographer! When is the documentary coming out? I would love to see it! A MUST BUY FOR THE HOLIDAYS!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars PARK CITIES? INTERESTING? SUPRISINGLY YES!!, December 18, 2008

By	Clement Talkington (Dallas, Tx) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Before discovering this book, I thought of the Park Cities as a place to avoid, or if absolutely necessary , drive through with the utmost caution and dread, due to the local police force's penchant for pulling over outsiders for the most mundane of traffic infractions, or simply for just "looking" suspicious. Imagine my surprise when I started pouring through the pages of "The Homes of Park Cities", and was drawn by Clicque's artful photographs, Mackintosh's entertaining essays, and McAlester/Winters' excellent and informative scholarly research and writing. Who knew that Azaleas, the signature foliage of the Park Cities, were not native plants, but actually a brilliant business strategy executed by a new and struggling landscape company? Who knew that the Park Cities steadfastly, and presciently, avoided constant pressure and intimidation by the City of Dallas for annexation, thereby avoiding the zoning/building incompetence that Dallas continues to struggle with to this day? Who knew that a coffee table book would make a confirmed "Park Cities Naysayer", such as myself, a convert? Well, this book does all of that and more. LOVE THE PHOTOGRAPHS! LOVE THE ESSAYS! LOVE THE HISTORY! LOVE THIS BOOK! FIVE STARS!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Book and a Fantastic Town, February 5, 2009

By	Demetri "The Best in Life" (Highland Park, TX USA) - See all my reviews

Highland Park is a storybook town, and this book explains the feel of the town, as well as giving interesting details of the history and architecture of the pre-war homes. I strongly recommend this book.